Conflicting Stories of Employee Engagement

I was thinking back on a long career grappling with organizational change and striving to enhance employee engagement, both as a senior executive and then as an external consultant. I envisioned these two sides of my organizational persona meeting in a bar over a beer:

The executive side says, “You know, we’ve tried everything to get our employees engaged in the changes we need to make… my new HR director has all these tactics, but there’s no business logic to it.” The consultant side bemoans, “Well, I have the same problem; I have a great framework for looking at change in organizations, but I don’t have practical tools to go from concept to action.”

Does this conversation sound familiar? Have you been on one side of it or, like me, on both sides at different points in your career?

The solution, of course, is to bring both sides of the dialogue together: blending a solid theory of change with tools that produce actionable metrics. I see the Six Seconds Change MAP plus our Vital Signs organizational assessment tools as that perfect balance of “business smarts” and “people smarts.”

Many organizations are plagued by a crisis of engagement that devastates morale and thwarts change, with 70 percent of change initiatives failing to produce lasting impact. There is another way, as shown in cases such as Komatsu and Amadori.

Paul Stillman is Director of Organizational Vitality at Six Seconds. He has over 30 years of experience as a healthcare executive and consultant. Paul leads global efforts to promote the use of Vital Signs, Six Seconds' suite of organization assessment tools. He has a Ph.D. in Human and Organizational Systems and is a Life Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Six Seconds is a community of changemakers contributing to a world of insight, connection, and purpose.

We think the world would be a better place if a billion people were practicing the skills of emotional intelligence (EQ). So, we research and share scientific, global, transformational tools & methods to support that goal.

Stay Connected with Six Seconds' EQ Newsletters

Get the latest news, occasional special invites, and other great EQ insights free by email -- you can leave any of our lists any time, no spam, and no hassle. Just fill in this form:

By submitting this form I consent that I’d like to receive email about EQ from Six Seconds (and can opt-out anytime) and to the terms of Six Seconds’ Privacy Policy including, if I’m outside the US, transferring my data internationally, and that Six Seconds will not sell or share my data.

The Practicing EQ eBook offers beautiful, simple techniques for making emotional intelligence a bigger part of your daily life.

The 20-page eBook includes important tidbits of neuroscience each followed by a tool or exercise to apply the insight to our daily lives. The techniques are organized according to the Six Seconds Model of Emotional Intelligence.

We'd love to have you share the eBook by inviting your friends and colleagues to visit this page: 6sec.org/practice

Just fill in this form and we'll email you the book instantly (nearly!)

By submitting this form I consent that I’d like to receive email about EQ from Six Seconds (and can opt-out anytime) and to the terms of Six Seconds’ Privacy Policy including, if I’m outside the US, transferring my data internationally, and that Six Seconds will not sell or share my data.

If you don't receive your eBook within six seconds, or a few minutes, please check your spam folder, or contact us.

This site uses cookies: By closing this message, you consent to our use of cookies on this device in accordance with our cookie policy unless you have disabled them Find out more.